"Live the moment"

How do I sum up the remainder of my New Zealand adventure into one post???? This is going to be a long one, so grab a coffee, or a “flat white” get comfy and get reading…..

All right, at Rotorua I realized that I only had another week in New Zealand. It went unbelievably fast and I still had a few things on my list I wanted to do. My plan of attack initially was to only see the northern part of the North Island and I am so glad that I stayed with it. When I talk with people who spend one day in one town and then another whole day of travel to spend one more day in the next, I think… ‘what are you really taking in?’.

I took a bus from Rotorua to Whangarei (pronounced Fang-a-ree) so that I could do some diving. I ended up in this hostel late in the evening and as I walked into the commons area I spotted across the room one of the Irish girls from Auckland – Patricia! I can’t tell you how happy I was to see someone familiar and also so much fun. This girl is nothing but shits and giggles and all around just fan – friggin’ – tastic. Turns out she was going diving the next day and that was specifically what I was there to do as well. I hadn’t heard from the dive company that I had emailed, so the plan was that I was just going to go with her and plead my way into the dive trip. The next morning I did just that, but I didn’t have to plead very hard. They were more than happy to take another paying customer as they had plenty of room. Now for most people that don’t know this, the Poor Knights is considered to be one of the world’s top ten diving sites in the world by Jacques Cousteau. And it didn’t disappoint us. The fish were massive and the dive itself was amazing. I have to admit, I am not much of a cold-water diver. All the extra gear and weight is a bit of a pain in the ass and getting in the water at first is very shocking.

Patricia and I napped when we got back to the hostel (turns out we were sharing a room – what are the chances!). Being that it was a Saturday night and our last night in town before she went South and I, North, we planned this to be an official bar night. We ended up taking along with us a German guy and another stray Irish man - Blair, who turned out to be quite funny. How do I even begin to describe the club action in wee Whangarei? I think we spent most of the night walking through this town looking into all the bars before realizing there really was only one place that was ‘happening’ (for lack of a better word) and it was appropriately called ‘Danger, Danger”. Not because of the scantily clad women, or the bad music, but maybe because of the lack of …. Ambiance??? Not sure what was missing. Maybe people our own age? Maybe better music without the massive screen that played the video while playing the top 40 song. Maybe official go-go dancers in the suspended cage and not regulars lined up for their slot. It’s a tough call. I spent most of the night wondering what was up. It had a country feel in the bar that made me think that any minute now the locals were going to stop bumping and grinding to hip-hop and start 2 stepping to “my achy breaky heart”. No really, it felt just like that. The highlights of my night??? I would have to say that it was just hanging out with fun people (the Irish seriously are fun), discovering (a little too late into the evening) that the neon green drink special served in the glass beaker was amazing, and actually meeting a local who drove around with his back window shot out. In Canada we call this a ‘hick town’. I wonder what the New Zealanders call it?

With much good-bye fanfare, I left Patricia for Paihia with Blair in tow. How to describe this guy??? Well, I can tell you he is witty and very smart (except that his chosen major was American History – WTF???) and he would probably tell you he is very entertaining. I may have to agree, but I would never do that it front of him. I guess, for the short bus ride North, I would have to say that I was entertained with fantastic conversation but had to stay alert with how quick he could be – it can actually be tiring always having to be ‘on’. Once we got to Paihia and got settled in, we headed off to a Museum with grounds that was the birthplace of New Zealand. It was where the English and the Maoris signed a treaty and decided to live as one country in 1840. This is where maybe my inability to travel with others kicked in, as Blair was museum-ed out and didn’t want to look at old buildings and glassed in artifacts and I could seriously stare at wood all day long. We parted ways for a short while so he could “slow down and live the moment” and I went for a quick walk (only 1 KM) back to Paihia. Funny, we both met up in town… guess I just took a different route to “the moment”. I was thinking how bizarre it was that a semi-complete stranger was telling me that I needed to slow down and “enjoy the moment” when any one at home could have told him that I have a black belt in sucking back time to do nothing. I live 3 months of my winter away in Thailand, lying on a beach doing nothing – every year! I don’t even own a watch. There isn’t a person who knows me that can say that I have never had them wait while I lived a moment or two. Maybe I have started to lose myself on this trip? I need to find my way back!

I awoke the next morning in anticipation for 6 days of sailing. I arrived at Great Escapes only to be told that none of their boats could go out because the forecast was calling for heavy winds and a gale. Fair enough. I spent the day in Russell learning more about early New Zealand and I was able to find another museum to wander through. Now without boring you all with the details of the next 6 days, I will just try to tell you this. Sailing through the Bay of Islands was the highlight of this trip. I saw some amazing birds, dolphins, flying fish; amazing scenery… there is just so much. I will post some pics, but they don’t even do it justice. What also made it fantastic was that the owners of the company, Terry, his wife Cindy, Lucy and Dave made dealing with Great Escapes memorable. They were so happy to bend over backwards to make things work out and they even had me over for dinner a few times. Who else does that? Island Cruising, of course, but this post is about New Zealand.

I was only too unhappy to see my travels through New Zealand draw to a close once I got to Auckland. So, back to another long Emirates flight (that will, at least, be safe from bombings!), as I will leave you with my list of top 5 in no particular order….

5 things I wasn’t keen about in New Zealand…

1. Phone calls were freaking expensive! There is no competition so it was 70 cents to call a landline and if you called a cell phone, it would cost you (at a pay phone) $1.20 a minute. One person who owns a cell told me that his average cell bill was $700 a month and that was normal. With Vodaphone having the monopoly, New Zealanders just accepted it as another huge expense they have to pay. Very much like what Canadians would do. Just look at the rising cost of fuel we all pay with minor grumblings.

2. Meat Pies. This is the national snack. They have other things like pizza and kebabs like we do, but meat pies are in every shop and convenience store. All wrapped and warmed for quick consumption. They really are gross. And so bad for you!

3. No hot guys. The Irish girls and I had to agree, there is a drought in this country and we aren’t talking rain. Not sure where they have gone or if they even exist, but if I encountered someone hot in New Zealand, they had a foreign accent.

4. Eating out was expensive and getting to a grocery store was a mission in it self. It was almost cheaper to eat out, as the grocery stores weren’t all that cheap. I was shocked to notice that local made goods such as cheese, milk or bread - was expensive.

5. The car rental companies “hire” you a complete lemon for $45 a day unless you get it for a month or more. When I say lemon, we almost rented a car and it was 10 yrs old and literally falling apart, I mean LEMON. Good thing there was a flat in the tire that we discovered as we drove off the lot. We had to quickly turn around to switch up cars only to have to wait in line with other people wanting to do the same. We bussed from Auckland.

And now… The 5 things I LOVED about New Zealand.

1. The dual flush toilets. For number 1, and for number 2. Saves tons of water per day and I don’t recall seeing a toilet that wasn’t one. Sometimes North America can be soooo behind. Oh and clean, clean, clean.

2. Loved that the Maori culture is celebrated in New Zealand and also recognized. Makes me think how different Canada could have been if the early settlers had signed a treaty early on with our Natives instead of trying to snuff out their culture, driving them into residential schools or reserves or just killing them.

3. Loved all their adrenaline sports. There wasn’t a shortage of things to do at all in New Zealand. I wish I had more time… and money.

4. Loved their transportation system. Not only in the city of Auckland, where there is a free bus for tourists, but also it was cheap and easy to bus through New Zealand.

5. Loved how laid back it felt. Just like home. And it's so green! Man, it made me miss the Island.

Just another note before I take off and post this sucker… but I had a lot more than 5 things to love about New Zealand, but for balance sake (it was hard for me to come up with 5 things I wasn’t keen on..) I had to limit the list to the magical 5.


Back to the Thailand grind… SIGH…. Miss you all and keep the emails coming!

Flying, Action and Culture

I’ve been in New Zealand for a little more than a week now and I have done quite a bit.

First off, I just wanted to mention that I traveled on the Emirates Airline for the first time in my life and now I am an Emirates lover. I heard that they got a lot of service awards and I wasn’t the least bit disappointed. Tons of legroom, bag storage, and the meal service was divine. Normally I am accustomed to a 4-course meal in business class, but in economy I was actually full! Not normal for most airlines, but I would have to rate it even higher than Cathay Pacific and maybe… almost… Singapore airlines. Not only that, but the stewardesses, had to wear these hats that had veils that came across just like what Barbara Eden had to wear in ‘I dream of Genie’.

I landed in Auckland a little jetlagged, but excited and went to a hostel within the city. It wasn’t as bad as I would have thought. I was immediately put in a dorm room with 3 other guys (gotta like those odds!). That’s where I met David - another guy from England. I spent a lot of my time just hanging out and getting my bearings and checking out what this ‘City of Sails’ has to offer. To be really honest, I’d been here before and it’s just like most major cities and I was looking forward to getting out of here. I did et a chance to check out the Maritime Museum, Sky Tower and a few bars, but really I just reveled in the little bit of culture shock I was having after spending some time in a crazy city like Bangkok. The hostel realized after a night that they had put me in a boy dorm and they ended up moving me to a room with 3 other Irish girls. They were a lot of fun to listen to and they were really funny. They put me straight on the situation with the Irish guys and now I know how lucky we have it in Canada with the way our guys are. I was trying to convince them that they need to come to our fair country and try out the guys we have to offer and it sounds like they may actually take me up on the challenge. You Canadian boys will be in a lot of trouble… these ladies are wicked.

David and I headed to Rotorua after a couple of days to head to the ‘cultural capital’ of New Zealand. It is apparently so touristy that it is affectionately called RotoVegas. I didn’t notice too much, maybe because I live in ‘VicVegas”. For the few people that may not be aware of this, New Zealand is known for their thrill seeking activities. The Bungy Jump, Sledge and various other adrenaline sports are all here. David and I headed to the Agrodome where we bought the 4gasm pass that gave us entry to the Swoop (a 10 metre free fall where you then swing for a while), the Free Fall (think skydiving without jumping out of a plane), the Agrojet (this is like being in a race car, only it’s a speed boat going about 100/mph) and our favorite by a landslide… the Zorb! Now, the Zorb is a inflated round, plastic ball where you jump in and either get strapped in or they dump water into it. Then…you roll down a hill. You have to push it around like a hamster ball, but once it gets going, it is like a waterslide. So much fun!

I also checked out the Rotorua museum which used to be a health spa in the early turn of the century and now it’s a museum that houses their history display as well as art. It was fantastic and very interesting. Crazy what rich people used to do back in the day… get into a bath tub full of water and get subjected to electro-shock therapy all for the sake of wellness.

I also checked out a few of their other sites, but my favorite touristy thing I did was go to the Mitai cultural performance. That is where we are picked up by shuttle at 6 and then taken to this place where they serve a traditional hangi and then the Maori’s give us a performance and we get to learn about their culture. It really was the best $75 I have spent so far. A hangi is a dinner that is cooked in the earth on top of coals. We were served the most amazing food I have had since being on my travels. The dinner alone was worth my money. And I had for my first time – lamb. I loved it!!!

Anyways, I am off to the North part of the Island to do some diving and sailing. I will post pics here when I get a chance, unfortunately, internet in NZ is really expensive and loading pics up would take forever.

Kisses…..

Week of celebrations

Hey All!

I am in the airport in Bangkok waiting for my flight to New Zealand. I have had a whirlwind few days and I am just now, catching up on my postings. This past week I celebrated Lucia and Geoff’s birthday right after one another. Lucia was a doll and put on a seafood night and invited a whole bunch of us to dine and drink on her. The guest house owner went to the market and got all the fresh goods and cooked it up. Afterwards, we retreated to our balconies, our bungalows are side by side, to have a porch monkey party - Canadian style. That is, basically, where we buy all the goods to make out own buckets instead of paying the high prices in the bars. That way we get to drink more. The English don’t really do this much at home as they are used to going to pubs to socialize, where us Canadians, feel more at home in the kitchen drinking our booze at a cheaper (and also much faster) rate.



The next night was Geoff’s birthday and the guys put on a surprise dinner at the Eagle Pub where the owner cooked us up an amazing feast for free. Turns out, when you drink as much as Geoff at one of your favored pubs (once again a English thing), you get preferential treatment. It’s all good. Geoff is such a stellar guy that he deserves it. Besides, it was his big 4-0. It was also the night before the Eagle Bar party that the same guys were throwing, so there were some birthday fireworks for Geoff that we all enjoyed on a full stomach. Not too much of a crazy night that night as we were all gearing up for the big bash the next night.

During the day, I was kept busy by diving in the amazing Marine park near Ko Tao. It was awesome and I saw some fantastic fish. I ended up talking to someone on the boat ride back about his dive trips in New Zealand and now I am thinking about adding that on my list of to do’s while I am there.

Sunday rolls around with huge anticipation for the Eagle Bar party. Sebastion, Michael, Jamie and Geoff started the planning process with just wanting to light off fireworks and then it morphed into a thousand dollars worth of the goods, as well as DJ’s from London, speakers bigger than Jamie and scented flyers to advertise the event. Haad Yao had never seen a party like this on it’s beach and it went so well I am certain I heard the boys planning next years already. It was a fun night of dancing on the beach and listening to great house music while being fueled by whiskey buckets.
I actually had to pack up and head back to Bangkok via another ferry and train trip the next morning so I partied hard and went to bed early at 5:30 am so I could get up and check out before 10 am. Surprise, surprise, I ended up sleeping in and started packing my month of living in less than one hour. It was a sad ending to a fun month. Everyone came by to say good-bye and all I wanted to do was just say, “Screw New Zealand, I’m staying for another bucket!” But I didn’t. I had no time at all to get to the ferry and I literally ran on. The train ride again was excellent. I shared some time with a Thai lawyer who spent the evening teaching me new thai words and phrases and I only had to use the grotty bathroom once!

Bangkok is even hotter than Hades at this point and now I remember why I normally head back around this time. Sebastion made it up to Bangkok where we hung out and went out for Indian for a change. I also ran into someone from home I know – Bo. Turns out his twin and he are traveling all trough Asia as well. It’s great running into someone you know when you are so far away. We had a nice evening of conversation as well.

So that’s it. Just another plane ride and then new adventure begins.

Miss you all!

M

Jackass, Mama and Mushroom Shakes

My days are slipping away from me as I realize that I have been here a whole month! I am still on Ko Phangan and if I hadn’t already booked my ticket to continue on to New Zealand, I probably wouldn’t leave this place. I am having a terrific time.

The best thing about traveling, to me - are the people that you meet. And this trip has been full of people from all over the world that I am getting a chance to meet and spend time with. I have hung out with some cool American guys who gave me an interesting perspective on their country. Hanging out with them gave me a recharge at a really important time. I was feeling homesick and wanting to go home. Hearing them banter between one another made me think of everyone at home and how everyone was so excited about this trip for me. So I will continue on…..

I am still hanging out with Chris from Surrey and his girlfriend Lucia, and her friend Leyna, have arrived. It has added some fun into the day as now there are more of us to hangout with.




Gizmo and Lidia, from Spain, are still here and the more I get to know them, I figure they are the sweetest people I have met so far.





We went on a snorkeling trip recently and I got reacquainted with a guy I met here last year, Geoff. Turns out he returns to Ko Phangan annually as well. This guy is a true jewel. I also met Michael who is from Denmark as well as some ladies from the States. Michael has turned out to be a riot. He is open about so many things and just generally a good guy to have around. Michael, Jen (American chick) and I, had a fantastic evening of mushroom shakes and whiskey buckets. Then having Geoff meet up with us later to close out the evening was a memorable night on KPG for me so far.




I also have 2 stray dogs that have adopted my bungalow and me. One is a cute white little puppy that looks about 12 weeks old and the other is his mom. Both follow me everywhere and have even taken to swimming with me when I am on the beach. They are adorable. I call the white one “Jackass” because he is trouble at the best of times and his mom is “Mama”. I know, not very original but she was named by another bungalow and I also found out it is the Thai word for dog. The thing I like best about these dogs is that I get the benefits of having a dog - their love and faithfulness, without having to clean up after them or worry about taking responsibility when Jackass goes garbage diving.

So what is coming up that I can tell you about??? I have some diving trips planned, a couple of birthday bashes and a party at a beach bar that will have some killer fireworks put on by some guys I know. Exciting times ahead for sure!

Hope you are all well and having fun. Sandy kisses from Haad Yao….

Paradise found!

I have finally made it to paradise. After a long train ride and 3 hour ferry ride, I arrived onto Ko Phangan. I met a boy form France named Thomas and he is hitchhiking around the world. He has already been to 12 different countries and 4 continenents. We shared a bungalow at my favorite place Haad Yao Bungalows and we have settled in quite nicely into the lazy routine of the islands. Sandy and Lyle found an inexpensive resort with pool just down the beach and they love what Ko Phangan has to offer. I wish that I could tell you about an amazing assortment of adventures so far, but honestly my days have consisted of sleeping, swimming, eating and repeat. The thing I like about this particular beach is that not only is it one of the nicest beaches on this island, but it’s family orientated and people tend to stay here a while. At my bungalows, I see the same families who stay quite a while here again and it’s nice to see them again. I am hanging out right now with a couple from Spain who are here for 2 months and a guy from Surrey who is planning on staying here for a while as well. Once you get down this way, it’s easy to just end up chilling for weeks on end. This beach does have it all though, great snorkeling, a variety of restaurants and there are a handful of pubs and bars that have “parties” on any given night of the week. There is no reason to leave here. It’s going to awfully hard to pry me away from my hammock in a couple of weeks when I have to head to New Zealand.

Lyle, Sandy and I heard about this food festival they were having in the main town of the island called Thong Sala. It’s a 4-day Buddhist holiday so we went to check it out. I have to say that I was very surprised at what we saw. There was a stage set up with live Thai entertainment and all around it was vendor after vendor of Thai food I have never seen before. And the seafood was amazing! We just picked up plates of steamed prawns for $1.50 . It just didn’t seem to end. It really was an excellent way of once again sampling the variety of food Thailand has to offer. I need to mark it down on a calendar for next year!















Anyone who has been to Ko Phangan is aware that other than the taxis (which really is a big open van) the preferred method of transportation by the locals and tourists are the motorbikes that you can rent for $6 a day. And if you have ever been here, you also know that the island has steep hills over most of KPG and that it is dangerous for people who aren’t familiar with the roads or rising a bike. There is something called the Ko Phangan tattoo that you seen on a lot of people which is essentially road rash from a bike accident. I can say that it is more likely that you will see that on the beach than ugly Europeans bathing topless. It really is horrendous and Chris, the guy from Surrey, is lucky to be alive from such an accident. It can certainly put a damper on your holidays as you can’t swim for at least a week and it easily gets infected because of the humidity. On another note, what also surprised me were the ages of the kids riding motorbikes as well. They barely looked old enough to reach the pedals let alone drive their own bike.

Anyways, that’s all for now. It’s getting hot out and I need to get out and enjoy some of this lovely sunshine. Love the emails that I get from all of you. Kisses, Merie.

Going South....

When they mean no frills, they mean it. Lyle, Sandy and I left Chiang Mai on one of their budget airlines names Nok Air. For about $65 we were able to fly 1.5 hours to Bangkok. The agent that sold us the ticket said that all they can guarantee is that it is cheap and safe. That freaked us out a little as we didn’t want to take a flight that may be cancelled and for some reason we weren’t so certain that it was going to fly. They were 2 hours late and changed our terminal. When we actually were boarding, I was amused that the company has a bird for it’s mascot and that the nose of the plane had a huge painted on beak. The stewardess’s were dressed in these cute outfits that looked like we were going out to space and not to Bangkok. I wonder where I can get my hands on one of those?

The new airport is actually one of the nicest that I have seen. It’s all glassed in with all these crazy angles and beautiful flora in the centre. I would have thought we were in a solarium and not an airport. Back to the big city of anything goes. Were here for a few days to sort out our next place. Incidentally, I was able to book my flight to New Zealand. And also my trip to Disneyland! Whoohooo! Sandy and Lyle have decided to fly to Surat Thani and take a ferry over to Ko Phangan and I will take a sleeper train down and meet them the next day. Seeing as I am here longer than they are, and I actually like the train, I figured it was best to just meet in paradise. If only those toilets improved though….

Anyways, just a quickie and some more pics. I am behind on posting this and I am actually already working on my next post. Here are some pics I got off someone from Surrey I met named Chris. This was what he saw in Bangkok....

Hope you are all well!

We'll always have Chiang Mai!

Chiang Mai. >SIGH< What can be said about this city? If I wasn’t so relaxed I could probably think up scores of things, but really, I can’t. I am in the northern part of Thailand where the pace is a lot slower than Bangkok and it is teeming with amazing food and culture. This is normally where travelers go for treks, cooking and language courses, etc… I love coming here. The climate is agreeable. It’s like an early summer day and it’s not humid. And what I like is it that Chiang Mai has all these wonderful little alleys or soi’s where most people just wander thorough. I can honestly say that most of my time spent has just been walking through the neighborhoods and staring at the locals. I am such a tourist!














And if you haven’t heard enough about the food I have been eating… there is more! The great thing about up here in Chiang Mai is that they focus more on natural, whole foods. Like Thai food isn’t already fresh and amazing! It seems like everyone is more focused on healthier living. There are a few herbal steam houses, a lot of yoga studios and places where one can take a retreat. And I am going to have to say that this is the first year that I have noticed the abundance of hippies that have made their way here. Sure, who doesn’t love a great hippy now and then, but I am shocked by how many have come here. Now that I think about it, how do thy travel? I’ve never seen one at an airport? Back home, they hitch hike everywhere or drive old vans. I had no idea that hippies to travel internationally. There are a lot of them that transform over night from Ko San Road, with their newly dreaded hair and cheap new digs, but where have all these other ones come from? Do they dress up a little before they get on a plane?

Something interesting about Chiang Mai is that they have literally built on top of their original city that is hundreds of years old. Everywhere you go, you notice these brick ruins or a crumbling Chedi or Wat. It’s a little bizarre, but atleast they haven’t plowed down their heritage sites for a …. McDonald’s.



















I have fallen into a routine here in Chiang Mai. Morning breakkie at Nice Kitchen, walk, massage, walk through market, shopping, and then before bed herbal steam. Nothing too exciting to write about. Lyle and Sandy have been doing the touristy things during the day and having a fantastic time. So far, they’ve done a trek where they got to ride elephants, a cooking course and they have also gone to the flower exposition at the Royal Winter home. I have just been walking through the city and feeling like a local. One day though I did get lost and I was rescued by these old women from Germany who were coming back from a dog show. They were dog lovers that rescue the stray dogs and steralise them. Thailand has a huge stray cat and dog problem and because they are Buddhist, they just let them wander everywhere. In some parts it can be annoying as the dogs like to travel in packs. It breaks my heart to see all the kitties roaming the streets going through all the garbage. Leo and Subee have it so good! So, these old ladies were in the back of a truck with all these dogs and bags of rice etc… I just climbed on in and they spent the afternoon showing me around and chatting with me. Sometimes, you just have to be open to any experience that comes your way.




I have also had a fantastic few days with this rock star guy from South Africa who had a lot to tell me about what the gay steam baths are like here in Thailand. And after an amazing Italian dinner and horribly strong cocktails at a Thai reggae bar, I lost him forever to the Go-Go bars of Chiang Mai. Charlie! Where have you gone!?! We'll always have Chiang Mai...



So there you have it, my Chiang Mai experience in one post. We are heading down South soon for some beaches and diving. I hoe you are all doing well. I have added some pics of the markets as well just below. I could spend all day looking at all their different fruits and vegetable displays. I love hearing from all of you. Can you believe it's been 2 weeks? I thought it had only been a week. Where is the time going?

Kisses, M.